


Something To Do (or 5 Times Carlos Tried to Propose to TK, and the 1 Time He Finally Succeeded)

by Maybethereshope



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, Carlos Reyes vs The Universe, Fluff, I know I mentioned TK has a peanut allergy but there is use of an epipen in this, I rated this as mature literally just for that just in case, If I haven't tagged something you think I should, M/M, Marriage Proposal, PLEASE kindly let me know :), Sexual Content, TK has a peanut allergy, TK is a hopeless romantic he deserves to be WOOED, This man needs a break, and I immediately apologize for my woefully small amount of research, but it's like...for three seconds, just so you're warned, omg how did I forget:, so much goddamn fluff, the rest of it is mostly teen and up territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:35:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24492856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maybethereshope/pseuds/Maybethereshope
Summary: “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”― Tom BodettExactly what it says on the tin. Carlos is presented with many moments in which he could pop the question, but somehow the universe keeps thwarting him. But by golly, he's gonna get down on one knee if it kills him.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 15
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is my first ever fic in this fandom, as I've binged all of OG and LS while in quarantine. Tarlos is obviously my fave, so I figured I'd start with them. I made a random post on tumblr about wanting to write a fic like this, never thinking I'd actually, you know, write it. But everyone was so nice on that post that I just couldn't disappoint. So finally, here it is :)

“You know, I’m glad you’re finally doing this. It’s about time.” Carlos turns to his right to see Michelle smirking at him in that annoying know-it-all big sister way she sometimes has. Except this time, he kind of agrees with her. 

“I know that, I just…” He glances back down into the glass case full of rings that all seem...just not right. “I know I’m overthinking it--”

“Wow we’re really admitting truths today aren’t we?”

He glares at her. “I just want it to be perfect. TK deserves the most wonderful proposal, the most perfect ring, and the best life. I just hope I’m up to the task of giving it to him,” he sighs.

Michelle gently grabs his arm and turns him away from the glittering diamonds to face her. “Hey, listen to me. You are a catch, Carlos Reyes. You are one of the kindest, sincerest, most loving people I know. You are a great friend, an amazing boyfriend, and you will make a wonderful husband. And for no one else but TK Strand. It’s been two years and you guys prove you’re perfect for each other every day.”

Carlos lets a small smile cross his lips as her words inspire small flashes of memory. TK laughing at dumb Cartoon Network YouTube videos while Carlos cooks them eggs. TK lamenting his own cooking skills while trying to make waffles one morning and nearly having to call his own crew to put out the mess he made of the kitchen. TK rolling over in the middle of the night because Carlos was thrashing about in his sleep, having a nightmare about a call he’d had, and TK just folding him up in his arms and breathing him back to sleep. Just tiny details of their life, but it makes Carlos fill up with warmth at the thought of doing those things for the rest of their days. 

“I know,” he tells her, still smiling. “I’m just nervous. I don’t want to screw this up.”

“You won’t. I promise. Whatever you choose, whatever you plan, he’ll love it. Because he loves you.” She playfully punches his shoulder, letting him get back to his browsing. 

After hours of searching, and three different jewelers, Carlos and Michelle happened to find the most exquisite specimen of a ring that Carlos had ever seen. He knew it was the one when he laid eyes on it and immediately pictured it on TK’s finger. He could see it sparkle against his pale skin. Could see the way the blue light from the television would hit it on their late night movie binges, could almost feel the beveled edge of the metal digging into his skin as TK gripped his shoulders when they made love. 

He’d whipped out his credit card right there, not even looking at the cost. Though, Michelle did peek, letting out a whistle that he chose not to question. 

Now, hours later, he was in a nearly euphoric mood, whipping around the kitchen in a melodic flurry, sauteing and stirring while his hips sway to Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give it Up. 

He is going to propose. Tonight. It’s almost like once he’d bought the ring, he can only hurtle toward the finish line. He can feel in his bones that this is right, that it’s time. His cheeks almost hurt from smiling. 

TK’s shift ends at 8pm, which means after he showers, dresses, and shoots the mandatory shit with the crew, he’ll be home by 9. Carlos feels his heart tick up when he looks over at the clock to see it’s 8:37. He adds a touch more garlic salt to his dish and stirs. 

The table is set with plates, cutlery, candles, and two glasses of mineral water. Carlos had thought of having a glass of wine himself to give him a little liquid courage for the night ahead, but he’d ultimately decided he didn’t need it. Plus, he hadn’t had time to hit a bar before coming home, and they didn’t keep anything like that in the house. 

The vegetables are nearly done when his phone starts vibrating on the counter. He turns down the music and picks it up, balancing it on his shoulder while he stirs. 

“What’s up, Sergeant?”

“Reyes, I am so sorry to call you on your night off, but we need backup at an accident over on the south side. Three 18-wheelers and six cars, and all my other officers are responding to a hostage situation near Round Rock. I just need you to help run traffic out here.”

Carlos fights the urge to groan out loud, but he does it in his head. But, duty calls. He knows how hectic it can get with just a few officers for a traffic jam like that. “Sure, Serg. Just let me suit up and I’ll be out there. You care if I just come straight there in my own car? Or you need a lightbar?”

“Nah, just need bodies. The 290 west bound near Sunset Valley. You won’t be able to miss it.” 

“You got it.” Carlos gives himself one final moment to lament the loss of the evening before blowing out the candles and running for his uniform. 

Just as he reaches the on ramp, his phone starts vibrating again, this time in his pocket. He parks in an alley behind a Thai restaurant and picks it up. 

“Hey, babe,” he sighs. 

“Hi. Everything okay? I thought you’d be home?” The sound of TK’s voice is a blessing, as always. 

“I should be, but they called me in to help with this pile up on 290. How’d you guys get out of this one?” Carlos locks the Camaro and starts looking for a safe place to cross the feeder road. 

“The 131 got the call, and only needed a couple of the guys coming in for next shift here to go out and help. Apparently there’s not much rescue needed, just a shit ton of towing.” He can hear TK chuckle over the line. 

“Yeah, Sergeant asked me to come run traffic. It looks pretty crazy up there,” Carlos says as he starts the trek up the on ramp, where he can see blue and red flashing off the white of the concrete barrier. 

“People crazy, not bad crazy, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry about this, I was going to make you dinner.”

“I can see that. You must have left in a hurry because the burner was still on. I know I’m a firefighter that you were expecting to be on the premises within the hour, but seriously, babe. That’s playing it a little close, don’t you think?” Carlos only keeps from panicking at the thought by the continued smile he can hear in TK’s voice. It must not be bad.

“What’s the damage?” 

“Just the smell that’ll probably be in the curtains for at least a week, and something that looks like it used to be carrots and broccoli.” Carlos can hear a pan being scraped. 

“I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up when I get home. You can order pizza or something. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.” He makes it onto the highway, searching out the nearest officer who can direct him to the Sergeant for orders. 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll eat pizza on the fancy plates with the good silver we only use when we want to impress people with our adultness. And maybe I’ll relight these candles?” His voice is teasing, but there’s a question in it, too.

“I wanted to do something nice for you. Sue me.” 

“Nah. I will leave this for you to clean up, though.” 

“Fine. I gotta go, I love you.” 

TK’s voice softens. “I love you, too. Come home safe.”

As Carlos hangs up the phone, he sends up a silent prayer that TK  _ doesn’t _ clean up, because if he does he’ll find the ring hidden in one of the folded up cloth napkins he’d laid out on the table. 

  
When he arrives home sometime after midnight, it’s to the table still set, untouched, and TK passed out on the sofa with a half-empty pizza box greasing up the coffee table, not a used plate in sight.  _ Animal _ , he thinks fondly. He lets out a long-suffering sigh and heads to the bedroom to strip off his uniform before coming back out to simply cuddle up next to his boyfriend on the couch. He’s sure they’ll both regret it in the morning, but he doesn’t have the heart to wake TK up to bring him to bed. 


	2. Chapter 2

TK’s shift ends in an hour, and this time, Carlos will be truly ready for him. He’s got on his nicest green shirt, TK’s favorite. He’s currently slow roasting the most magnificent ham the market had on offer. The house is spotless, and the good plates are set out. He’s just starting on the potatoes when the sitcom playing in the background breaks with a news bulletin.

“We are currently watching a live feed of a massive inferno taking place near South Congress. A hotel, we’re being told, that has been booked to the max in anticipation of this weekend’s bluebonnet festival and open concert, began smoking approximately a half hour ago, and the blaze has only grown since.” The reporter continues talking, but Carlos is watching the flurry of movement behind her.

He picks up his phone to call the station. “Hey, this is Reyes. Do you know if they need any backup at the hotel fire in South Congress? I’m off duty but I’ll come in if you guys need me.”

“No, it’s alright Reyes,” his colleague tells him. “Some of us are cooling our heels a few blocks away in case, but it’s all up to the FD right now.”

“Alright, just checking. It looks pretty crazy,” he says, still watching the feed like a hawk.

And then he spots it--ladder truck 126 enters the field of view of the camera. So much for a relaxing evening and a perfect proposal. He quickly hangs up with the station and turns off the stove, parking himself on the couch to watch as the firefighters of the 126 fan out toward the blaze. He catches TK’s name across the back of his turnout, and takes a deep breath. His boyfriend has done this a thousand times before, running into burning buildings and working miracles. He can do it again. 

For four hours he watches the news feed, during which he finally takes the ham out of the oven and promptly forgets about it to go back to his vigilance. He’ll put it away later. Dinner is the last thing on his mind at this point. 

But he catches that bright orange name time and time again, running across his screen back and forth to the mobile hub, TK and Paul and the rest of them bringing out victim after victim before dashing back inside. The core of the fire looks to be on the top floor, and they’ve ventilated the roof so that a large column of smoke floats up to obscure the Austin skyline. 

Another hour passes, and Carlos’s nerves are frayed but surviving. He resists the urge to call the commanding officer on the scene, who had given an interview about an hour earlier on the progress, vague as it was. He resists making that call, but barely. He doesn’t want to distract the officers helping. 

He and TK should have been well fed, happily engaged, and peacefully sleeping by now. He tries not to let the pull of worry in his gut get any stronger.

After a while, he notices several firefighters convening just outside the entrance to the hotel, and he counts. All members of the 126 currently on shift, safe and accounted for.

The reporter's voice floats back in from his periphery. “We’re getting word that all residents of the hotel have been evacuated, and the blaze seems to be dying down, thanks to the service of the Austin Fire Department. There are several injured and awaiting treatment here at the mobile med unit, but there seem to have been no fatalities--”

Carlos lets out a long breath, lets a relieved smile cross his face.  _ That’s my man _ .

He stops resisting the urge to pick up his phone, but he doesn’t call the commanding police officer.

TK’s voice comes through on the third ring. “Hey, babe. You seeing this?”

“Yeah, been seeing it for hours. You alright?”

“Little bruised up, but otherwise fine. A two-by-four from a door frame clocked me in the shoulder. They’ve gotta check me out but I’ll go back to the station as soon as they do. I’ll be home soon, okay?” The way TK’s voice is light, casual, immediately puts Carlos at ease. Everything’s okay. 

“Okay. Be safe. And TK?”

“Yeah?”

“You look so hot in that uniform with soot on your face.” He smirks, knowing his boyfriend will hear it in his voice. 

“Is that why you’re dating me?” he laughs.

“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a man in uniform.” Carlos finally allows himself to relax back against the couch cushions, the tension bleeding out of him. 

“That’s funny. Me, too.” He can clearly picture TK’s smug face. “Love you. See you soon.”

“Love you, too. Be sure to take a shower before you show up here. I cleaned the house,” he scolds playfully. 

“You sure? You don’t want me to leave some of this sexy soot on my face?” TK’s openly mocking him now.

“Just get home, asshole.”

When TK finally walks through the front door, Carlos is up on his feet in an instant. His boyfriend is clearly freshly showered, but Carlos still catches the lingering scent of smoke in his damp hair when they embrace. 

“God, I’m starving,” is the first thing out of TK’s mouth when they pull back from each other. He walks over to the table and picks up a banana from the bowl, peeling it and shoving it into his mouth in an almost obscene gesture. He takes in the spread, and Carlos’s shirt and slacks. “Aw, babe. I missed dinner?”

“I didn’t even really get started before the news broke. So...you didn’t miss much of anything.”

“Still. You look nice. I love this shirt, you know. So sexy,” TK breathes into the space between them. Carlos can hear the exhaustion in his voice, and it makes his heart go soft. 

  
“Come on,  _ sexy _ . Let’s get you to bed. You can sleep the whole day tomorrow while I’m at work. And look! You can have all the ham sandwiches you can eat,” Carlos says, gesturing to the roasting dish now gone completely cold on the stovetop.


	3. Chapter 3

Cliches aside, the ring is starting to burn a hole in Carlos’s pocket. Literally. He’s carried it with him almost everywhere since the day he bought it. But it seems every time the right moment comes along, something happens to derail his intentions. 

It’s not like TK would be entirely surprised about a proposal; Carlos isn’t stupid. He knows how TK’s last relationship ended, and truth be told he’s surprised TK even decided to really give them a go in the first place, considering. But then again, he did give Carlos a rough go of things in the beginning. Carlos holds no grudges at all. TK is a complex person, with grand notions of romance that had just been dashed completely when he and Carlos first met. It stood to reason that someone so ensconced in wanting to live a fairy tale would eschew the notion completely after such a fallout. 

But TK’s thirst for romance has endured, in the little things. How his eyes light up every time Carlos surprises him with flowers after a long shift, just because, when he used to scowl and turn away at the idea so soon after being hurt. How he so clearly fishes for compliments when they go on dates and TK pays extra attention to his clothes. How “An Affair to Remember” is still his favorite movie, and how Carlos can now quote it nearly by heart because of how many times TK picks it on movie nights. TK is the epitome of a hopeless romantic, and Carlos is forever grateful that his last boyfriend didn’t drain that out of him. 

So yes, they’ve mentioned the idea of ‘forever’ in conversations, mostly during those old romantic movies. Sitting on the couch, TK staring longingly at the screen, will say something like: “Sometimes I used to wish I could have a Nicky Ferranti. Like, someone who would do anything, be anything, just for me.”

“How so?” Carlos would ask.

“Just...how he goes at her pace, but still chases her, because he knows they’re meant to be. He doesn’t really lose sight of her, even when she pulls away. His heart never leaves her. It’s so…” And he would just sigh. 

“He waits for her, is what you’re saying,” Carlos would smile down into TK’s hair where they’re cuddled up on the couch. 

“Yeah. Even after she disappears from the accident and he has no idea where she is. He could have given up, but he doesn’t.”

Carlos always hears the unspoken plea under conversations like that:  _ Don’t give up on me, even if I disappear. We’re meant to be, I just don’t know how yet. _

Tonight is one of those nights. They’re sitting watching Three Coins in the Fountain, somewhat to Carlos’s chagrin. As the credits start to roll, he speaks. 

“I guess there’s a time and place for grand gestures. But sometimes, they seem empty to me. A bunch of strangers standing around, privy to the most private moment of your life?”

TK sits up and glares softly at him. “It’s  _ romantic _ . Though you’re right. Having complete strangers watch an intimate moment is kind of unsettling. But it’s the principle of it; the fact that the one you love is unafraid to show the world their love for you.”

“Ah,” Carlos jokes. “So you’re the propose at the top of the Empire State Building type?” He braces himself, but only slightly. TK has grown much more comfortable remembering his failed relationship with Alex, but sometimes Carlos thinks it still stings under the surface, even though TK has definitely moved on. 

“No, I’m the propose in a crowded restaurant and humiliate yourself type. And unless we go back to visit Manhattan for some reason, there will be no Empire State Building or Central Park proposals on the horizon for me.” At this, he looks a little sad. “But you’re right, that was a big part of the failure for me. That people I didn’t even know looked on while my life went up in flames. It sucked royally.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Carlos muses to himself. “I’m a private person. No embarrassments in restaurants are on the horizon for you either.” He leaves the statement sitting there, out in the open, knowing what TK hears in it. 

TK looks up at him with a soft smile. He’s sleepy, has been dozing for half the movie, and it shows. But his expression is also full of love, and it makes Carlos itch to draw the ring out of his sweatpants pocket. It’s nagging at him, telling him this is the perfect moment, intimate and heartfelt.

Before he can move, however, TK is pulling him closer. The kiss is sweet and steady, not at all the grand gesture type of thing they were just talking about, and Carlos melts into it. Tongues don’t even enter the equation for long minutes, both of them just enjoying the slide and pull of lips and the caress of fingers on faces. Carlos’s hand slides around to the back of TK’s head, gently pulling at the short hairs at his crown, meaning to draw his lover in closer. TK lets out a quiet sigh of contentment, and Carlos dives in.

Their tongues move back and forth lazily, the same quiet, soft conversation as earlier, without words. TK’s hands are slow to move, winding around Carlos’s neck and staying there as Carlos pushes into TK’s space. He’s pliant, loose-limbed under Carlos, and that’s when he notices it. 

Carlos pulls back a little to look into TK’s eyes, which are closed. He’s not quite asleep yet, but it’s a near thing. 

“Come on, let’s get to bed, babe. We can continue this tomorrow.” He grabs gently under TK’s arms, and gets a small whine for his efforts. They slowly shuffle to the bed, and TK is out like a light before he even hits the sheets, leaving Carlos to quietly undress and stow the ring back in the sock drawer for safe keeping before he slips it into his uniform pants before work tomorrow. 

He sighs, feeling another perfect moment slip by, and tries not to be disappointed about it. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is the chapter with the allergic reaction and use of an epipen, with a hospitalization afterward. It's not horrific or anything, but I figured I'd let folks know.

Carlos has learned that the universe is somehow against him at this point. Every time he tries to lead them to the precise moment he can make his gesture, something happens. By now, he’s figured out that clearly, the universe forbids the cooking of a romantic meal. It’s been ruined three more times between the last attempt and now, twice when each of them was out on calls that went longer than expected, and once when TK came home so horny that dinner was forgotten until the morning after, not that Carlos was complaining about that.

But he’s got the message now. Casual dining is best, apparently. So on his way home from his last shift for three days, he makes a run to a sushi joint near their place. It’s actually a ritual for them on nights when they’re both off the next day. Sushi and movies, and this time Carlos gets to pick. He wonders how badly cliche it would be to pick The Proposal. Even though the movie doesn’t get romantic until halfway in, he wonders at the message sent in the title. He’s been dropping less and less subtle hints for weeks now, and TK always seems to take them in stride, but that doesn’t mean he’s not nervous. It’s still a big step.

And it seems to feel bigger every time he has to work himself up to it again. 

He decides on Goodfellas. 

TK arrives home on time, freshly showered and looking so, so good. Their team had gone on six different calls in his 24-hour shift, two fires, one almost-drowning, one heart attack, and two calls to the same address within hours of each other, where they’d talked down a woman wielding a knife at her husband only to come back to the husband threatening to set the house on fire. So much for Owen Strand’s powers of de-escalation. Paul handled it the second time around and TK had lamented on the phone why they didn’t just call it in to the cops--which Carlos wholeheartedly agreed with--but since the woman stood down as soon as the 126 had entered, they hadn’t thought it was necessary. 

“Firefighters are definitely not marriage counselors,” TK says as he drops his duffel on the floor by the door. Carlos already has all the food set out on the coffee table, the opening credits starting. 

Carlos is barely watching the movie; he’s watching TK as he finally sits back and lets the tension from the long shift fall from his shoulders, his neck, and around his eyes. Carlos knows how grueling a shift out there can be, knows the mental load their jobs require of them. It’s his favorite thing to know that TK can let all that go with him, just as Carlos does around TK. It cements within him that this is the right idea. 

The ring waits, yet again, in the pocket of his sweatpants, and Carlos gets his words in order in his head. He stays on the idea he was just mulling over: that they can be a comfort to each other, that they each have a place and a person to be  _ okay _ with, no matter what happens in the world outside. He thinks he’ll lead with that. 

He looks down for a moment as TK puts down the nearly empty rice container. He always hogs the damn rice, Carlos thinks with a fond smile. He fingers the ring from the outside of his pocket, taking deep breaths and thinking of a life with TK, and how it can only get more wonderful from here. 

TK clears his throat and Carlos looks up. He does it again, and reaches up to touch his lips.

“Babe, you alright?” Carlos asks as TK’s brows furrow, and then his eyes go wide. 

TK takes a deep breath, or tries to. It sounds like pulling air through a straw, a hideous wheezing sound that settles like dread in his ears. Carlos is almost frozen in shock when TK turns to him and his lips have taken on a bluish tinge, when just a moment ago, he was absolutely fine. 

TK’s hand shoots out, pointing to his duffel on the floor by the door. “Ep--” He tries again, futilely, to take a breath. “Ep--i--pe--en,” he manages to mouth at him. 

Carlos is across the living room in half a second, diving into the bag and frantically feeling around. He knows TK has a peanut allergy, but they hadn’t eaten anything that contained them. Carlos was careful in particular when they ate sushi, as so many things were prepared with peanut oil. But this...this was definitely anaphylaxis. Carlos prayed to every deity that existed that he could find the damn pen.

His hand closed around the familiar thick cylinder, and before his mind could process, he was back on the couch and had it pressed to TK’s thigh. He waited, precious seconds flying by, his eyes fixed on TK’s face. 

Slowly, slowly, TK pulled in a short breath. Then another. It looked difficult, but at least color was returning to his face. The blue cast to his lips was still there, which scared Carlos to death. 

“I’m calling dispatch to get an ambulance for you. Michelle is still on shift I think,” Carlos says absentmindedly, already hearing the phone ringing on the other end. 

The next morning, after TK is finally discharged with a relatively clean bill of health, Carlos is finishing up with a call to the precinct. 

“Did they find out what it was?” TK asked as he buttoned up his jeans and slid his belt into place. 

“Yeah. Kid in the kitchen at the restaurant cooked the rice in peanut oil instead of mirin. He’s really tore up about it, I think.”

“Poor kid, he just made a mistake,” TK says to the floor. Suddenly, he looks back up at Carlos. “You don’t think they’ll fire him or anything, do you?” His eyes are like a sad puppy’s. It almost makes Carlos reach out a hand to pat him on the head. “God, I hope not. Maybe I should go over there--”

“Woah there, Tiger. He’ll be fine, I was assured of it.” He gives in to his previous desire, but instead of patting TK’s head he goes to run his fingers down his jaw. 

“How do you know?”

“Because I knew as soon as they told me the situation that you’d worry about something like that. And I told them that in no circumstance would you press charges on a poor kid for some dumb mistake he made without malice. I know you, babe, remember?” Carlos hugs him close. “I promise it’s fine. You’re fine, so it’s fine. What did the doctor say?”

“That I’m perfectly healthy, thanks to you. But that I should probably lay off sushi or any other food traditionally around the oil or the nuts. Just to be safe.”

“Abuela’s homemade tamales it is, then. For the foreseeable future, at least.” 

TK smiles at that, Carlos can feel it against his shoulder. When they part, TK looks at him curiously for a moment before speaking. “Last night, before all the excitement, I mean. You looked troubled about something. I was going to ask you about it, but then...all the…” He makes a waving gesture with his hand presumably to indicate the drama of the night before. “Were you upset about something?”

Carlos assumes he’s referring to him falling quiet for those few moments, looking down and running through his thoughts. He remembers that part almost as vividly as he remembers the rest. “Nah, it was nothing. Just thinking about work and stuff.”

“And stuff? Come on, babe. I know you better than that. It looked intense.” TK takes Carlos’s face in both his hands and forces their eyes to catch. “What’s up?”

“It can wait,” is all Carlos answers because dammit, he is  _ not _ going to propose to TK in a hospital. He has  _ limits _ , though those limits are slowly becoming obsolete. 

TK takes this, as he does most things, in stride. Carlos knows he’ll ask about it again, and Carlos will have to evade again, but hopefully soon he’ll have actually popped the damn question and then he can come clean. 

If only the universe didn’t continuously thwart his plans on the matter. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is the chapter with sexual content. It's not super long or explicit, but it's there. If you want to skip it, just Ctrl+F to "Being with TK is always intoxicating"... and you'll skip by most everything explicit. :) Also I invented a date for Owen bc this is two years down the line and I needed a plot device for this chapter. Sue me.

Carlos wonders if he could possibly pop the question of a lifetime with the taste of TK still in his mouth. Would that be any kind of sin? He thinks it may be a strong symbol of intimacy to be honest, but he doubts the story would go over well with anyone who asked. Especially his mother. Or  _ Owen _ , for God’s sake. 

On second thought, Owen might want details, because apparently TK and his dad are  _ close _ , closer than Carlos cares to know. Their banter swinging in the direction of lewd has caused more than a few blushes and stammers out of the conversation for Carlos, when he’s been around to witness it. 

However, Carlos feels like he’s hit his limit of waiting. He wants to hear TK say ‘yes’. And Carlos knows he will, has felt this out with his boyfriend and had enough conversations about marriage and kids in abstract terms to know that TK is open to it. And all those hints Carlos subtly drops about spending a lifetime with TK get nothing but bashful smiles and loving, hopeful looks. So. He knows there’s a ‘yes’ on the other end of the question, if he can ever get the damn question out of his mouth.

As it stands now, his mouth is otherwise occupied. Even as his thoughts spiral beyond his task at hand, he’s still focused enough to pull a moan from the man sitting on the couch above him as he rolls his tongue down the length of the most fantastic cock he has ever tasted. 

“ _ Fuck _ , baby, yes,  _ oh  _ just like that,  _ fuck _ ,” is TK’s mindless babble toward the ceiling, his head tipped back to rest on the back of the couch as Carlos works his magic from his position on the floor between his knees. It’s gratifying that after years together, he can still pull sounds like that from TK, like they’re still discovering each other, the spark still new. 

He hopes it stays like that forever. 

TK’s strong hands are kneading at his shoulders, slightly guiding him this way or that way, showing Carlos exactly what he wants. Being with TK is always intoxicating, like being bathed in love and trust, even during an act as lewd as this one. 

But of course, because the universe absolutely despises him, it is cut short by the shrill ringtone of TK’s phone. 

“You have  _ got _ to be kidding me,” TK whines as he reaches for it, because that is the ringtone for his dad and he may be annoyed right now, but it has been ingrained in him since his dad’s diagnosis that any call could be an important one. 

Carlos leans up and goes to sit on the couch next to him as he answers. He thinks about keeping up the sensation with his hand, but ultimately can’t make himself jerk his boyfriend off while he’s on the phone with his father.

Carlos listens to their conversation from one side. “Hey, dad. What’s up?...Uh huh. What kind of favor? You’re  _ what? _ Oh my God, hang on.” TK hangs up the phone and starts buttoning up his pants, looking exasperated. “He’s at the door,” he says in an irritated tone. Carlos can only commiserate. 

When TK opens the front door, Owen Stand is there leaning against the doorframe, looking much too pleased with himself for Carlos’s taste. He loves the man, but damn. Bad timing.

“What’s this favor you need? We’re kind of busy, dad,” TK says as Carlos comes up to stand behind him. He says a silent thank you to the universe--even though he’s angry with her right now--that they had most of their clothes on because he can see a car idling by the curb out front, and there’s a woman in the passenger seat eyeing them curiously.

“I need you to babysit. Two kids, 7 and 10 years old, just for a couple of hours. Maggie’s sitter bailed and I already had tickets to this show in downtown and I was hoping that after--,” Owen trails off. 

“Are you serious right now, dad? I’m helping you with a booty call?” TK scoffs.

“Aw, come on, TK, you love kids!” 

“I also love blowjobs,” TK deadpans. Carlos chokes and turns his face away. Good thing, too, considering Owen’s next words.

“I do, too, and I get them a lot less often than you do. So please, son, help a man out? Please?” Carlos turns to see Owen giving TK the exact same puppy look that TK gives Carlos when he wants him to stay in bed five more minutes. He adds in a cheeky smile. 

TK turns to Carlos with an annoyed look, but Carlos knows Owen is right. TK  _ loves _ kids, and most of the time he can’t turn down a good time with them if it’s presented to him. It’s one of the reasons Carlos wants to marry him: they both want big families. In that moment, Carlos decides he  _ wants _ to do this, their sexy night be damned. Call it a trial run.

“I don’t see why not. It’s just one night, it’ll be fine,” he says, running a hand through TK’s hair to placate him. 

Owen doesn’t even wait for TK to second the answer, he just runs off toward the car with a skip in his step. 

“I’m going to spend the night entertaining kids while I have blue balls from hell. Thanks for that,” he pouts.

Carlos ruffles his hair affectionately. “Just fantasize about how I’ll make it up to you once they’re gone,” he intones quietly into TK’s ear, adding a very discreet squeeze to his ass for emphasis.

“You’re lucky I love you and I know you’re good with your---Hi!” His voice rises up two octaves as he sidesteps the conversation when the woman and presumably her two children reach the porch with Owen. 

“Guys, this is Maggie,” Owen introduces, and she presents her hand to each of them. “And this is Jason,” he gestures to the older boy, “And Kaylie,” then the girl. 

“Are you sure this is alright? I don’t want to impose,” Maggie starts. 

“Nonsense! They’re happy to help, aren’t you boys?” Owen is lucky Maggie doesn’t see his waggling eyebrows. 

“We’re glad to give you a night off, guys. It’s fine,” TK tells her, ever the polite gentleman when he wants to be.

Maggie is still looking warily at her kids, who have started to pull at Carlos and TK for attention nearly the moment they arrived at the door. They’ve clearly been told they’re being left with these people--who are presumably much cooler than their mom--for the night. “I don’t know--” she starts again, unsure. 

Owen takes over. “I promise, they are in good hands. This is my son, TK,” he says, gesturing, “a firefighter on my team at the 126, and certified EMT.” TK tips a fake hat at her, causing Carlos to almost snort. “And this is his boyfriend, Officer Carlos Reyes of Austin PD.” Carlos gives her a warm smile. He has to admit, Maggie looks rather impressed. 

“Like I said, they couldn’t be in better hands.” 

Carlos thinks Owen is laying it on a little thick, but it amuses him so he lets it go. 

“Oh, alright. I guess it can’t get much safer than a police officer and a firefighter for a few hours. Thank you again, boys. I really appreciate it, and sorry it’s on such short notice. I hope we didn’t ruin your night,” she smiles, looking relieved. 

“Not at all, miss,” Carlos tells her, smiling back. “We were just about to get dinner started, actually. Either of them have any allergies we should know about?” He can nearly feel TK tense up at the memory of their failed dinner a week ago. 

“Oh, Kaylie is lactose intolerant, but other than that they’ll eat just about anything,” Maggie tells them.

“No sweat then, off you go!” TK says, half shoving them out the door as Jason and Kaylie push past TK and Carlos into the house, yelling already. TK catches his dad at the last moment and looks at him sternly, “You’ll be back by midnight, right?”

“Of course, son. I promise. Thank you!” he yells, already running back down to the car. 

TK shuts the door with a sigh and looks at Carlos with a pitiful smile. “Why am I such a pushover?”

“Because you have a good heart,” Carlos tells him, pulling him in to plant a kiss to the top of his head. Jason and Kaylie have made themselves comfortable on the couch and are fighting over the remote control. Carlos tries very hard not to think about what he and TK were doing on that couch not ten minutes ago.

“So, gang,” he calls to them. “Who likes hot dogs?” The kids yell in what Carlos can only interpret as an affirmative, with the experience he has with his nieces and nephews. “Good, I’ll go make sure we have everything in the fridge. Babe, can you open up Disney plus?”

TK effectively swipes the remote out of the kids’ hands and does as he’s bid. The television glares to life, and TK begins sifting through the list of original movies. He beams as he sits down between the two children. “This is my favorite one!” he exclaims, clicking on  _ Johnny Tsunami _ immediately. Carlos chuckles to himself at how predictable his boyfriend is.

“What is it?” Kaylie asks as Carlos retrieves the grill pan from the drawer under the oven and fires up the stove. 

“Oh you’ll love it. It’s got surfing and snowboarding and controlled danger and high school romance,” TK tells them. At the last bit, Jason turns up his nose, but Kaylie seems pleased and sits back to enjoy the movie.

Carlos smiles to himself as he tosses franks on the grill. His heart warms something fierce as he pictures this being their life. Their own little family, spending time together and laughing together and pointless TV and maybe board games. It’s a wonderful daydream. 

It only serves to solidify his resolve. He’s going to pop the goddamn question by the end of the week if it kills him. 

Owen and Maggie return half an hour ahead of schedule to find TK, Carlos, and the two children passed out on the couch with the credits of their third DCOM in a row playing in the background. He has to rap on the window beside the door a few times, peering in, to get them to stir. 

Quietly, Owen thinks to himself that he could get used to seeing that. He knows Carlos thinks about it, too. They talked at length about Carlos’s plans and dreams when he’d come to talk to Owen about proposing to TK. To be honest, he’s kind of shocked he hasn’t seen a ring on TK’s finger yet, because that talk was months ago now. 

Perhaps he’s just waiting for the right moment.

If Owen only knew. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the conclusion finally :) This is TK pov, btw. And so so fluffy omfg.

This last shift has been a doozy, and TK just wants to go home and sleep it off. Preferably after scarfing down some leftover tamales. Carlos doesn’t get off shift until about 4 more hours from now, so TK can maybe get in a nap and a snack before he arrives. 

“You headed home, TK?” Paul calls to him from his locker. 

“Yeah, dude, I gotta sleep off that last call,” he answers with a roll of his eyes at the thought of what they’d just come back from. A stoner had stuck a fork in the microwave and said it made pretty colors. Yeah. It also set fire to the entire apartment. The worst part was the fact that neither the stoner nor his roommate ever lost their high the entire time, which made for some choice comments when the 126 showed up in full turnout. 

They’d been accused of being alien invaders. That was a new one. 

But the fire is out, shift is practically over, and TK just wants to go home and fall into the couch and await the love of his life’s return home. He doesn’t even want to shower at the station, just wants to wait until he can be home to use Carlos’s shampoo. He’s still in his uniform pants and t-shirt, having dropped all his other gear back at his cubby. 

He’s up in his dad’s office telling him goodbye when he hears a commotion from downstairs. TK ambles over and peers down through the window. There’s a cop car with the lightbar flashing sitting just outside the bay doors. 

TK smiles to himself when he sees the driver exit. Does Carlos have...flowers? 

He makes his way downstairs to good natured whistles and ‘woooo’s from his teammates, unable to hide his giddy smile. Carlos sometimes surprises him at work by bringing him lunch or picking him up after shift to go to dinner, but flowers? Those are usually waiting for him at home.

TK meets him at the bay doors, where Carlos pulls him into a hug and hands him the medium sized bouquet of red roses. 

“Did I miss Valentine’s Day?” Mateo calls from on top of the rig, swinging his rag back and forth. 

“Shut it, Mateo! It’s obviously National Make Your Coworkers Jealous Day,” Marjan calls from her cubby. 

“You guys don’t know, maybe they had a fight! Hey Carlos! Are those doghouse roses? Because man, I gotta tell you it depends on how bad you fucked up--” Judd is cut off by Mateo throwing his rag into his face. The two descend into laughter along with the rest of the station. Owen watches from the balcony with a barely contained smirk, but says nothing. 

TK lets go of his hold on Carlos and turns, red faced, to give them all the finger. This just causes more laughter. 

“Sorry to catch you at work,” Carlos begins, “But this can’t wait. Not anymore. I’m done waiting for the proverbial right moment.”

TK is immediately wary. “Is something wrong? What’s happened?”

Carlos snorts a laugh. “ _ Everything _ has happened. Calls go too long, I burn dinner, your dad needs a babysitter, you have an allergic reaction, et cetera, et cetera,” he says, and TK can almost hear the whine in his voice. “Everything happens because the universe hates me. But no more. I am on a quick break, and your shift is over, and--wait.  _ Is _ your shift over?”

TK glances up at his dad, calls down from the balcony. “Five minutes, technically, but I’ll let him slide if the bell rings.”

“Good, because God only knows as soon as I start talking, the bell  _ will _ ring,” Carlos laments. Now TK is really curious.

“Tell me what’s going on, babe. You’re starting to scare me,” he says, clutching close to the roses because if there’s roses it can’t be all bad, can it? Still, Carlos looks nervous but determined. 

The officer takes a deep breath, letting it out in a huff. 

“TK. You are...the kindest, most wonderful, most loving person I know. The best part of my day is coming home to you. You make every shift, every call, every day out in the streets bearable, because I know you’ve got a hug and a kiss for me when I see you.”

“Among other things, I hope!” Mateo calls, before being forcibly shushed by Paul, who has now climbed atop the rig to watch the show, apparently. Carlos barrels on.

“Your smile is my favorite thing in the whole world. I will work my entire life to be worthy of that smile. And you have been through...so, so much heartache and pain, and still you smile, and I think that’s courageous. I am proud of you, and I’m proud to stand beside you.”

TK feels like this is all apropos of nothing, and although it’s nice, it’s also making him wonder what the hell is up here. But somewhere, deep down, subconsciously...he knows. 

“I want to wake up every morning and be able to pull you close. I want to be able to cook you my abuela’s tamales at least once a week, because I know they’re your favorite and even though you eat them cold for breakfast straight out of the refrigerator some mornings I can’t even be mad at you because that is just...fucking adorable. You are everything, TK.

“You’re so brave. You literally run into danger for a living, and you help people and you’re constantly concerned about other people even at your own expense sometimes. You have the biggest heart, TK, and I love you so, so much for that even though sometimes it’s exasperating. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know every single facet of you. You’re...you are  _ everything _ , TK.”

Here, Carlos pauses and reaches into his back pocket, and  _ fuck _ , it clicks. TK almost can’t breathe, almost feels like he’s eating peanut-oil-rice again because oh my  _ God _ \--

“Are you for real right now?” he stammers out, his breathing picking up as Carlos produces a tiny black velvet box and holds it aloft.

“Yes, I am so for real and  _ please _ don’t interrupt because I have been trying to say this for weeks and like I said, the universe  _ hates _ me apparently but dammit I’m going to get this out if it kills me.” Here, Carlos places a quick peck of a kiss to TK’s nose, then finally, he goes down to one knee.

TK’s breath literally stops. The entire station is silent, save for the rustling of the cellophane on the flowers in TK’s trembling hand. Carlos’s voice echoes. It’s like a goddamn fairy tale. 

“You are the love of my life, and my reason for living. I don’t care if that sounds like an exaggeration, because in our line of work we  _ need _ a reason to get through the day, and you’re it for me. I want to grow old with you, raise children with you, fight over the remote with you, sing along with your atrocious shower singing, cook a million meals with you, and everything in between. You’re my world. Always.”

TK isn’t crying. He’s  _ not _ . 

Carlos pops the box open and there sits a thing of absolute beauty, and it takes TK’s breath away all over again. 

“Tyler Kennedy Strand, will you marry me?” Carlos actually bites his lip, like he’s unsure of the answer after that ridiculously romantic display.

After a few seconds of trying to actually  _ breathe _ because breathing has become difficult because to be honest, TK’s never been here before. He’s been on the other side, and he won’t think of that moment right now because it’s behind him, but only in his silly romantic dreams did such a prince charming exist. He’d never dared to hope he’d be on the receiving end of such a heartfelt and sincere affirmation of love as this. It hurts to contemplate, but in the best way. 

Because if there’s one thing Carlos has shown him during the course of this relationship that TK might not have known before, it’s that he  _ deserves _ this. So really, his answer is simple.

He starts nodding frantically before he can get the words out. “Yes,” he gasps finally, thinking offhandedly about how cliche he sounds with happy tears in his voice, and absolutely not giving a single fuck. “Yes!”

TK switches the flowers to his right hand as Carlos slips the diamond encrusted band on his finger. It’s stunning to look at. TK doesn’t think he’ll stop admiring it for years to come. Not only because it’s beautiful, because it is, but he knows that even some day in the distant future, he’ll look down on his hand and see it there, and it will be a reminder of just how profoundly happy he is in this moment. 

He barely registers the wolf whistles and whooping and clapping all around them as Carlos takes him in his arms, lifting him off the ground with enthusiasm and spinning him around because apparently he hasn’t proven  _ enough _ that he is a goddamn Disney prince. 

When Carlos sets him back down, TK pulls him back in for a kiss, breathing against him, trying to make himself believe that this is  _ real _ . This happened, someone loves him enough to think he deserves this kind of happiness.

It’s downright miraculous. 

“I love you,” Carlos says, as if he hasn’t been saying it for the past 15 minutes straight in twenty different ways.

  
TK’s still smiling giddily and his cheeks are starting to hurt but this revelation is  _ everything. _ “That’s the thing,” he breathes into the space between them. “I  _ know _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and commenting (if you choose to do so!) and for welcoming me into this fandom! I hope you enjoyed this small distraction from the world outside.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](https://maybe-theres-hope.tumblr.com/)!


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